The Mage's Shatter mechanic

[Mephisto]

So I had a conversation about a mages Shatter, and the crit effect it has on spells, and I'm wondering if I have been looking at this all wrong. For one thing Rshams and Hpals AFAIK will be getting a magic cleanse added onto their regular cleanse at level 20. And this means that novas can be cleansed I have always thought that if the mage finishes casting the spell, and the travel distance. if the distance is far, it would give a healer enough time to cleanse the freeze, and not be shattered. However the person I was having this conversation with says that once the spell (or spells) go off and is headed toward the person who is frozen, the increased damage and crit chance is already factored into the the damage equation, so even if they break the root as the spell is coming at them, it will still have the extra chance to crit. I feel stupid now for thinking it was entirely something different, but I Guess I never thought it could work that way. I thought the shatter could only happen if they were still frozen and the spell hit. Can anyone attest to the other persons theory as true? I Don't really play my mage much anymore.... well ever really, not since f2p started So I may be a little murky on the mechanic changes if there have been any.

 

[Stamm]

Interesting question, though I seriously doubt many people will have the reaction time and the knowledge of this to know to cleanse the nova.

 

[Mephisto]

Interesting question, though I seriously doubt many people will have the reaction time and the knowledge of this to know to cleanse the nova.

True, Though Im wondering now if this is why I See mages frostbolt and then Icelance at the same time if both are affect by the increased critical chance. This could be seriously killer for mages in MoP since all specs get shatter baseline. And if cleansing will not remove the increased crit chance, its probably just better to sit in the nova, or bubble (took away BoP in MoP and gave paladins a much better bubble.).

 

[verh]

Shatters are determined when the spell finishes casting, not when it reaches the target.

 

[Mephisto]

Shatters are determined when the spell finishes casting, not when it reaches the target.

Thank you thats what I was wondering. Thats kind of crazy.

 

[kablam]

though I seriously doubt many people will have the reaction time and the knowledge of this to know to cleanse the nova.

wut

 

[Mephisto]

wut

He means it like this: say trinket is off CD, and Cleanse is about to come off CD. say an Arcane mage fires frost firebolt followed by arcane barrage with 6 arcane charges. just as frostfirebolt is fired, the healer cleanses the freeze off of himself negating the shatter. Thats how I thought it was. However if the spells go off right before the cleanse, the shatter is still guaranteed. which is what I am starting to understand now.

 

[threesets]

Arcane cannot get shatter at this lvl

 

[kablam]

He means it like this: say trinket is off CD, and Cleanse is about to come off CD. say an Arcane mage fires frost firebolt followed by arcane barrage with 6 arcane charges. just as frostfirebolt is fired, the healer cleanses the freeze off of himself negating the shatter. Thats how I thought it was. However if the spells go off right before the cleanse, the shatter is still guaranteed. which is what I am starting to understand now.

I understand. I was just trying to make note (without directly saying it) of how dumb it was to say that people don't have the reflexes to dispel things like nova before a cast goes off.

 

[Mephisto]

I understand. I was just trying to make note (without directly saying it) of how dumb it was to say that people don't have the reflexes to dispel things like nova before a cast goes off.

I think its safe to say that there are such people. Playing a rogue you get to see the reaction time of some people. I have seen people sit there while I stab them in the anus for 3+ seconds before actually doing anything like they don't understand what just happened and are trying to process it.